For all those who do not know, I also work as a sales rep for Wakami Canada, which is a fair trade jewelry brand that works with women artisans in Guatemala. Through Wakami, the women are able to generate a stable salary hence, enabling them to provide for their families by sending their children to school, having proper lodging and a more balanced diet. If you would like to learn more about what we do, you can click on the image below.

One of my work tasks is to attend various events and festivals to raise awareness about the brand. Therefore, last weekend, Sam (who also works with Wakami) and I packed his small Toyota Yaris with Wakami jewelry, dream catchers and fairy lights and headed towards Tremblant to attend the Wanderlust Festival. It was our third year attending the event and every time, we have a blast! Everyone has the most positive energy and is so friendly, which makes the event one of our favorites to attend.

This year, instead of using all our expense budget on 2 Starbucks coffees a day, we decided to buy our afternoon snack and drink at Fluide Bar à Jus. It is a small shop located on Tremblant’s busiest street (chemin des Voyageurs) that serves all types of fresh juices, smoothies, gluten free and vegan snacks. The first time Sam and I stopped by Fluide, we got the Green Speed juice made with orange, mango, soy milk, ginger and greens +. It was super filling, creamy and sweetened to perfection. Along with the Green Speed, we tried their Choco-Banana gluten free cookies. They were made with oats, buckwheat flour and chunky vegan chocolate chips – we were in heaven!

After this first stop at Fluide, it became our go-to food spot. For the duration of the festival (Thursday through Sunday), we went to Fluide once per day, each time getting our favorite Choco-Banana cookies along with a drink. We tried the Epo Flow juice made with beets, carrot, apple, kale, ginger and lemon as well as the Octane 2000 made with espresso, chocolate almond milk, banana, almond butter and guarana.

When we first tasted the Octane 2000, we both fell in love. I personally loved the fact that it was silky, chocolaty, nutty and had that extra kick of caffeine, which was much needed at around 3 p.m. when the energy levels were slowly dropping.

After the festival ended and we came back to Montreal, I found myself craving the Octane 2000 every afternoon – it is unbelievable how fast you can form a habit! Therefore, I brainstormed how to make my own version of this chocolaty nutty drink. That is how I came up with this Frozen Chocolate Coffee Smoothie.

Instead of using chocolate flavored almond milk, which has about 21 grams of sugar and 2 grams of protein per cup, I used original soymilk which contains only 6 grams of sugar and 8 grams of protein per cup. I also decided to use an entire frozen banana to naturally add some sweetness. Since I didn’t have guarana, which is high in caffeine, I just used more coffee. Lastly, I added some hemp hearts for healthy fats and protein and a touch of cinnamon for flavour. I really hope you try this recipe; I promise you, you will not be disappointed!

Notes:* I used original soymilk. I like to measure the soymilk in advance, pour it in an ice cube tray and freeze it overnight. Alternatively, you can use un-frozen soymilk and add a few ice cubes to make the drink colder.** In my recipe, since I used original soymilk, which has a bit of sugar, I did not add dates. However, if you are using an unsweetened non-dairy milk, I recommend adding a date or two to your smoothie.